"Reincarnation can be a cruel mistress..."
By Bloodshade Shadowclaw
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Author's Note = Just something I felt like jotting up. Partial inspiration from Daria's KOF Fanfiction, "Beautiful Stranger". Series is one of my own creation, Samurai Nekojin, and tells how Falcor met Jeide, in Falcor's P.O.V.
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I wasn't anything special that night. I was at a club on the outskirts of some little-known town in Mouno. No one knew who I was, and as such, I had a little "trouble" getting in... To them, I was just another avian drifter. They didn't know about my gift of wind manipulation, or that the diamond-bladed claymore between my wings helped me in that regard.
I didn't give a damn either way. I was just desperate to quell my craving for a good cherry daiquiri. 

...Ah, alcohol. Both Blessing and Curse. Much more of the latter, though. I'd had a fair run of bad karma in my trip along this mortal coil. One particularly demoralizing shot was killing my first and only mate in a drunken rage. As accidental as it was, I'm still feeling its effects, mostly in my personal life. But that's for another story...

I ordered a small glass and sat at one of the stools near the bar, savoring the aroma. I was just about to take the plunge, when another avian walked in, a real hottie by the looks of it. She had green hair, wore a light blue strapless top like you'd see at these kind of places, a seemingly color-coded handbag dangling from her arm. A pink skirt came down to just above her knees, her tailfeathers poking through a small slit in the back. I was wearing a silver hip-length vest over an off-white muscle shirt with blue jeans. Probably not my best look for the time, but I hardly ever look good when I want to. I got a glimpse of her grey eyes as she passed by. The music was changing to a drum-and-bass beat, and this beautiful hawk-woman was transitioning seamlessly into it on the dance floor.

I didn't think I'd have a chance with her, so I downed my drink and turned to leave.
But a heavenly voice cut me off near the end of the bar.
"Aww, c'mon blondie, you're leaving just when the music gets good?"
I glanced around. No golden tresses anywhere in the small crowd, save for my own...She beckoned to me with a finger.
Creator's excrement, was I wrong?

Maybe. Her style of dance was very fitting, given our whereabouts, and I did my best to match. Her body was very close to mine, but I was more occupied with her eyes, which were going into this almost questioning look for some unknown reason...
"...Who are you? There's something about you that looks familiar..."

Her hand touched my face. The touch was angel soft, not leathery like the skin on most avian's hands. I remember my mate used to have hands like those.......
Wait. There's no way in Akeldama she could be...
"Pred got your tounge, blondie? Come on, tell me your name..."
I just couldn't resist that pouty smirk.
"Windrider. Falcor Windrider."

"Windrider...waitasec, you're that reclusive mage, right? No wonder. You punch out any paparazzi recently?"
I almost burst a gut. "Hahaha! That's a good one. I wish I could get away with that sometimes. And you are?"
"Jeide Tawnwing. I saw you drinking when I came in. Mind treating a little birdie like me?"

A couple of minutes later, we were both drinking a beer outside, but I must've been staring for about an hour.
The moonlight was catching Jeide's face, giving an ethereal light to already beautiful eyes. Thankfully she didn't notice until she stopped looking at the stars and started looking at me.
"Falcor, you're staring."
Oh, Great. I'm acting like Mitsuru's little brother, Kakana.
"Eh, sorry. You're just so easy on the eyes, I can't help it."
Boy, am I gone...And it's not the booze for once.

"Uh, Falcor?"

I glanced over.
"Your hand."
...Ah, Shit. There goes my drink. I busted the bottle against the wall somehow. I didn't realize I was that buzzed.
"Damnit, and I liked that brand..."

"I don't think you should be worrying about your drink...Those cuts look pretty deep..."
She grabbed a black bandana from the handbag she was carrying and wrapped it around my hand, applying pressure at the wound.
"That should hold ya till you get back."
...Goddammit. Why'd she have to go and do that!? Now I cared about her...This sucks ass. I liked this chick, but even if she was reincarnated from my mate, I don't deserve her...It was probably some ulterior motive for her anyways.
But if it was, then why was that look in her eyes so caring? She barely knows me...
"Hey, Falcor."

"Yeah?"

"D'ya think you have a chance with a girl like me?"

"...Maybe. Why?"

"I don't know why, but I just met you, and I got this feeling...that..." She trailed off.

"What?"

"...For some reason, I just really like you....."

"...You mean, as a person, or do you 'like me' like me?"
.....I could've phrased that WAY better...

"I just...like you."
That smile...Almost like my mate's the week before she died...
She was so happy then...

"...So I guess you flew here, huh?"
That was a fast change of subject. TOO fast.
Ah, well. Roll with the punches.

"I'm an avian, aren't I? Speaking of which, it's getting late..."
...No, she wouldn't go for it...Would she?

"Yeah. My uncle's gonna be ready to clip my wings if I pop into the house at...friggin'.....1:00 in the morning."

"You have an uncle?"

"Yeah, and he's awful overprotective...I swear, it's like he's trying to be my father...Do ya mind if I crash at your place?"

...I'm starting to think this relationship is going WAY too damn fast for me.
".....I could use the company."
Goddammit, I gotta stop letting my nethers do the talking...

Well, we flew back to my place. I wasn't expecting it, but she kissed me.
Yep, definitely too fast. But I wasn't complaining at the moment. And frankly, neither was my boner, who now seemed to be screaming something along the lines of "STICK ME IN SOMETHING SOFT, HOT AND TIGHT!!! NOW!!!!!" out of my pants and into my head.

Sorry, buddy. Not tonight.
Unfortunately, he was more determined than usual.
By this point we were a couple inches away from playing tonsil hockey when Jeide bit my tongue, presumably to get my attention away from the rather short-fused stick of TNT in my pants.
"I don't do one-night-stands. Especially with people I hardly know. Maybe in a few months, if you're lucky."
She pulled away, and retreated to the powder room.

#+=The End...or the Beginning?=+#